Shooting from a treestand

[Trevor]

I have never shot from my treestand so today when I went out I thought I would take my bow and target to the stand and do some practice shooting. I shoot all different distances from 10 - 30 yards. After shooting I have the confidence that I can make a good shot inside 30 yards.

[Trevor]

Any tips or tricks you want to add is appreciated.

[WStreblo]

Shooting from a treestand

Always remember to bend from the hips and DON'T drop your arm to compensate for the downward angle. It will screw you up.

[dogdoc]

nothing beats practicing from your treestand. gives you confidence in your shot and bending from this hips is a great tip!

[bowhunter97]

Also make sure when you bend at the hips your anchor point doesnt change

[dbHunterNY]

you might not be able to draw as easily if it's a very cold day and you've got lots of clothing on. if you draw upright as if the deer is at the same height you are. get situated with your anchor close then bend at the waist and settle in for the shot. it'll help you draw easier and maintain the right form. I've known multiple people that passed a deer because they tried to draw at a downward angle and couldn't get the bow back. keeping good back tension will help you keep from dropping your arm too. remember the arrow will shoot like it's the horizontal distance from the target to you only, not the straight line of sight distance to the target.

[Stinger-Hunter]

You're doing it right... practicing and asking for advice. Always remember to bend at the waist. I made that mistake after years of doing it right - and there my arrow went a foot over that bad boy's back.

Good luck and keep it up.

[fly]

Take a range finder or walk of the distance before going up the tree. Walk from the base of your tree you hunt from to the biggest trees where the deer will come from (better just make it a 360 degree circle from the base of the tree (LOL)). Put a designated marker like yellow plastic ribbon around the 20 yard trees and blue for the 30 yard trees. Also remember that extreme elevation changes things. I hunt one place that is 30 feet high - there is a wide (usually dry) creek bed about 25 yards away that is 7 feet deep. If a deer comes up the creek bed I use my 20 yard pin instead of the mid-point between my 20 and 30 yard pins.

[kman43]

All good stuff. Take it from someone who has learned the hard way!

[Straight Shooter]

Practicing from a tree stand is crucial to your success and accurate shots. Like it has been stated, everything changes once your of the ground just with the simple mechanics of shooting. Your anchor point, form, drawing your bow, etc. but with practice you feel just as comfortable as you were on the ground.

A consistent anchor point, bending at the hips, and keeping your weigh forward will take practice. I like to have my bow pointed in the direction or angle of the animal I am getting ready to draw on, this cuts down on movement going from a straight forward draw to lower it after it's drawn. You can practice this move on the ground as well. Pretend you are in the tree stand all ready bent at the hips with bow angled at the ground. Holding your bow in a pretend angle of the animal and draw. Once your anchored and ready for shot, rotate up right and make your shot on the target. If you have to adjust once your upright, you're not getting the anchor your need.

It's all personal preference, but just go with what works best for you. Best of luck to you, and always be sure to wear your safety harness!! Practice in this as well because it may make you feel restricted once yo have it on and you've not shot with it on before.

[WStreblo]

Shooting from a treestand

One thing I like to do as well with my 3D target is to position it in real close (10yds) just to get an idea of where I'd need to place my pins if I had to let a deer get in close before taking the shot. It's a whole different monster when they are that close but with practice it's manageable

[redkneck]

Practice from a sitting position, I prefer standing but shoot a lot of times while sitting.

[abrown]

I don't know if it's as important to practice from a stand as it is just an elevated postion. After a while it's more muscle memory. Ranging things like fly said before hand vs. waiting until the moment of truth comes, or make a range card. Figure out when your going to draw, due to where you want the animal to be, aka, deer's head is down or behind a tree to keep from detecting your movement. Double check your pins before and after you draw to make sure it's the right one, last thing you want is to sling an arrow at a bruiser using your 20 yrd pin, when he's at 30. Practice with your broadheads, then practice some more.

[Trevor]

Thanks for all your help guys. When I was in the stand I shot different distances and shot standing and sitting. I took about 30 shots and hit the bullseye about 90 % and the rest were just off by about an inch. So I think when the time comes to make the shot I can with confidence. I still practice all the time on flat ground.

[fly]

I don't have any trees in my yard to shoot from so I generally shoot on the ground until a week or two before season. Then I use a ladder and get on my roof and shoot from about 20 feet. It's rare that I bow hunt from a blind. I like the 360 degree view so much better. 90% is pretty good as long as the bullseye is baseball size or smaller.